


We used to be friends, what are we now?

by the_milky_way



Series: 25 Days of Buck and Eddie [19]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 25 Days of Fic, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, POV Outsider, Prompt Fic, Secret Relationship, Sort Of, firefam finds out, prompts, sort of too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28177629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_milky_way/pseuds/the_milky_way
Summary: She hastily swerves around other patrons and takes cover behind a pillar in the middle of the cafe. It gives her the perfect view on the two idiots that are her brother and his friend.or:The five times the firefam realizes that Buck and Eddie are more than just friends.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: 25 Days of Buck and Eddie [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036098
Comments: 32
Kudos: 447
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	We used to be friends, what are we now?

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt For Day 19:
> 
> "Friends"

Maddie’s in a rush during her break, otherwise she would have seen Buck way before she was already queued up. It’s too late now anyway. And really, she is so desperate for the blueberry muffin that she wouldn’t leave the line for anything. Not even to say hello to her brother and… oh his best friend. She doesn’t find it odd that they are here, together on their free day without Christopher for once. They are friends after all. They spent a lot of time together.

She gets distracted by ordering and then by savoring the first bite of that heavenly muffin. Only on her way out, planning to say hello at least now, does she take a closer look. They seem weird to her somehow, not off or anything, just a little different. There’s a visible blush decorating Buck’s cheeks, his eyes are sparkling with mirth, though and he is smiling. So at least it can’t be anything bad Maddie thinks. Although Eddie has his head ducked down she can still make out the wide happy grin he is showcasing. And she really can’t remember a time where he smiled like that at anyone but his son.

A step closer to their table and Maddie actually diverts her gaze and tries to bite down the laugh that’s bubbling up. She hastily swerves around other patrons and takes cover behind a pillar in the middle of the cafe. It gives her the perfect view on the two idiots that are her brother and his friend. Because the fact that made her decide that a hello would be the absolutely wrong thing to do right now, is them holding hands. Sure they are trying to hide it behind the cups on the table but to anyone really looking it’s absolutely obvious.

So more than friends then. About time Maddie thinks while sneaking out unseen.

If she later finds out that this actually was their very first date and therefore has a hard time not cooing at them, no one needs to know. Shut up Chim, you think they are cute, as well.

+++

Chim thinks he’ll have to restrain Buck in the next five seconds. If the drunk idiot who caused the collision doesn’t stop harassing the victims in the car he crashed into more blood will flow. Chim's pretty sure of it. Buck’s clenching his jaws so hard that Chim swears he can hear the teeth grind.

He is about to call Hen over to help with Buck if need be when Eddie crystalizes practically out of nowhere. The guy had been at the other end of the pile-up, helping Bobby with a bus full of preschoolers. Sometimes Chim thinks Eddie has a sixth sense when it comes to Buck being in trouble. And it works the other way round as well.

So Eddie is there, right in front of Buck, who in the second Chim was distracted by Eddie, had moved towards the still shouting asshole. Eddie is between Buck and the guy, back towards him and eyes on Buck, talking in a low tone so that Chim can’t make out the words. But then he doesn’t need to because the shouting asshole is right in Eddie’s face.

“What? Gonna hafta hold back you sissy boy there? Couldn’t hold me back then, can’t do it with your help either. Gonna get to those bitches who ruined my car.” The guy is lunging towards Buck but Eddie is a steady wall between them. 

Buck’s not moving at all anymore, watching, waiting for his chance and ready to get Eddie out of the way if it gets too dangerous. There is such a deeply rooted trust visible in those actions that Chim blinks. He knows they trust each other but this, the fundamental something he sees in Buck’s eyes, hears in Eddie’s voice - this is new. This is different.

“Sir. Please calm down. We are just doing our jobs. Please do not try to touch my friend,” Eddie answers with a calmness Chim isn’t even able to muster up a few feet away from the scenario. Before it can escalate any further Athena is there and the guy finds himself on the ground faster than he anticipated.

Eddie just turns around, asshole already forgotten, hands on Buck’s shoulders and mouth moving with what Chim suspects are calming words. And then Buck nods, once, twice. A small smile emerging as well which has Eddie’s shoulders dropping in relief. It earns him a soft punch in the arm and Chim bites his lips so that he doesn’t laugh out loud at the ridiculousness that is the two of them. 

When they all get back to their actual jobs without having to deal with that disturbance any longer Hen sidles up to Chim. They are waiting for a free way to their victims and are watching Buck and Eddie work. Chim with a newfound knowledge that these two are definitely more than just friends.

“I swear, I have never seen anybody more oblivious. Friends, my ass,” Hen finally says.

Chim just smiles. Because yeah, friends. But much more as well.

+++

Hen is about to lock Eddie and Buck into one of the cleaning closets. She just can’t watch this any longer. They have an open house today, have parents and children from the neighborhood come in and look at the station. There are small workshops and presentations about fire safety. And Buck loves the attention. He thrives under the watchful eyes of attentive children and goes out of his way to show them everything they want to see. It also draws the attention of several parents as well. Not a few quite obviously trying to get Buck’s attention, too. 

Although Buck seems absolutely immune, Eddie couldn’t be any greener if he was the Grinch. The guy has been trying to sneak into conversations whenever possible, even went as far as to bodily drag a very confused looking Buck away from a handsy mother. But whenever Hen hears Buck talking to someone else, he is boasting about being friends with Eddie. Well, more like boasting how awesome it is to be partners with a friend like Eddie, but still.

Hen has had enough of those two being the most oblivious idiots she’s ever come across. A blind man could see that they are very much gone on each other. She doesn’t get why they can’t. But she’ll do hell to meddle. That never ends well and could possibly torpedo any chances they have with each other if it backfires. So no meddling and no locking them into a closet either. She’ll just have to suffer their idiocy until they pull their heads out of their asses.

Hen loses track of them for a while there, getting caught up in the workshops with the kids and presentations. It isn’t until an hour before the end of shift with the open house long done and everyone else just silently mulling around hoping for the alarm not to sound that she finds them again. And how she finds them. Hen usually doesn’t use the back stairs to the loft but stowing away some of the equipment led her to the storeroom under the backend of the loft. Closing up and deciding that the way around to the front is too long she goes for the back stairs. Only to stop short when she rounds the corner.

Eddie is sitting on the fourth step from the bottom, legs spread so wide that he blocks the entire length of the step’s board. In between his legs is Buck, sitting two steps lower. Eddie’s arms are hooked around his upper body and his back is pressed to Eddie’s front, head resting against Eddie’s where it is hooked over Buck’s shoulder - and they are both looking down at the cellphone in Buck’s hand.

It takes Hen embarrassingly long to realize that they are talking to Christopher. She doesn’t listen in, hates to eavesdrop but she takes another look at the two of them. They look like this isn’t entirely new to them. The way they talk to Christopher speaks of practised ease, of routine, like a family has. And it’s then that she knows they aren’t as oblivious as they want others to think. 

Friends. That they are. Best friends. Family, too. Lovers, she is pretty sure that is a yes. Partners, by the looks of it in all the important ways. But most of all they are Eddie and Buck. Buck and Eddie. And Hen is glad that they’ve found that.

She’ll take the front steps. 

+++

Bobby is done. He is so done it’s not even funny anymore. He is especially done with the two idiots thinking they are subtle while sneaking around in his firehouse. He doesn’t even need to know what they are up to, he just wants them to stop insisting they are just friends. No one, like absolutely no one believes this anymore. Not when half the crew has caught them in compromising situations already. Nothing bad, mind them, but getting a cuddle session in here and there does raise some questions.

And really, they are cuddling. Bobby has never seen anyone get that tangled and twisted up with someone else when they aren’t… well, you know, more than friends at least. Anyway, if he has to listen to Buck tell anyone that him and Eddie are just friends again, he will. Well. he doesn’t really know what he will do then, maybe scream. Screaming sounds like a good idea. What he does when it happens a mere minute after he thought it, is groaning out loud.

“Buck. I swear, if you insist one more time, that you guys are just friends, I’ll smack you up the head. I’ll smack you hard.” Bobby says from the kitchen counter where he has been trying to get lunch done before the next call.

Buck and Eddie together with Chim, Hen and two more crew members are gathered around the already set table. Buck’s staring at him with the most betrayed look on his face Bobby has ever seen. Eddie is trying to hide his entire being by sliding lower in his seat. Idiots. Lovable idiots, though.

“Why am I getting flack for this?” Buck has the audacity to ask, sheepishly but still.

“Because you are the one telling god and his mother about being just friends with Eddie. Even if people haven’t said a single thing about you two.” Bobby isn’t sure if he should feel this exasperated while talking to a grown man. A grown man who suspiciously looks like he’s trying to hide a smirk.

“Preemptive measure, Cap. You wouldn’t believe how often people take us for partners. As in life ones not work ones,” Buck says, all innocent and oblivious. Bobby doesn’t believe him for a second. Especially not when he can hear and see Eddie facepalming.

“That’s probably because you two ARE more than friends.” If he puts a little more emphasis on the “are”, well Bobby has to get it through to Buck somehow. He is sort of getting a little desperate here.

“Sure. Best friends,” Buck exclaims while pulling Eddie, who is hiding his face in his hands, closer. Bobby narrows his eyes at the way Eddie’s shoulders are shaking. What’s going on here?

Hen has her hands thrown up in defeat, eyes wide as if she, too can’t believe what Buck’s saying. Chim just stares.

“For God’s sake, Buck. We all know you two sneak off to make-out during sleep time. You cuddle on every occassion. This is a little beyond being best friends, don’t you think?” 

For a second there Bobby thinks about throwing the dish towel on his shoulder down on the counter, just to underline his words. He leaves it where it is when Buck first snorts, then snickers and then actually howls with laughter. His entire body is shaking, moving his chair a little so that Eddie instinctively grabs onto it. Eddie, who is looking on fondly while laughing as well.

“Told you it would be Cap, Eds. You owe me dinner.”

“That I do, my friend.”

And off they are again, laughing like hyenas and leaving everyone else around them stunned and speechless.

“Hey, if you guys can bet on us getting together, we can bet on who’s going to lose it first.” Eddie shrugs, sounding anything but apologetic. Smug smile firmly in place he leans over to plant a soft kiss on Buck’s lips in plain sight of everyone.

“And for the record, neither of you won the bet. Next time you wanna earn money off the love lives of your friends, don’t lose the wager note in the locker room. But please leave us out of those kinds of bets in the future, yeah?”

Bobby makes a mental note to have a workshop about proper conduct at work and firehouse behavior in the near future. With all of them. He vows to have Athena deal with those two idiots the next time they sneak off on a call. Because yes, that has happened, too. Bobby isn’t blind, he also isn’t cruel. So when one of his firefighters has had it rough he’ll let their partner comfort them.

+++

Athena doesn’t really get why Bobby sent her in search of his two errant firefighters. But the eye roll and the not so secret smile her husband sported has her suspicious. She knows why the second she rounds the ladder truck that is parked at the very edge of their current area of operations. 

Because that doesn’t look like a friend making sure his friend is doing okay after a rough call. That looks like two horny boys making out against the side of the truck. Hands underneath turnout gear or twisted in it and mouths working at each other. 

Athena gives them a second to become aware. When they don’t she clears her throat. Only needs to do it once. The way Buck and Eddie spring apart is almost comical, so much so that Athena can’t help but raise her eyebrows.

She thinks she hears Buck mutter “uh oh the eyebrows” before Eddie slaps him up the head. Buck has the decency to look a little apologetic. But then he opens his mouth. And sometimes Athena wonders if there are minute glitches in Buck’s brain that suspend proper thinking for nanoseconds or so.

“He had something in his eye.”

“Dios, Buck,” Eddie actually snorts out and then shrugs a little helplessly at Athena who is watching on in amusement.

“Really? Guess his eye wandered to where his mouth is and you had to use yours to help him? ”

“Uh… Kinda?”

Eddie just gives up then, thumps his head against Buck’s shoulder, repeatedly and mumbles something in Spanish Athena is pretty sure isn’t all that flattering towards his boyfriend. Judging by the way Buck flushes, Athena thinks the boy knows exactly what Eddie is saying. Interesting. She kinda likes that she learns more about the man Buck is at each corner they round together. Same goes for Eddie. Being relaxed the way he is around Buck right now is a good look on him. Athena knows that calling them boyfriends in her mind, partners even, is the right call. She’ll happily do it out loud eventually - when they are ready. 

“Do you two knuckleheads really think my husband doesn’t tell me what’s going on at his station? Especially when it comes to family?”

Athena has to say she is a little proud of herself for having them this flustered at her words. Because Buck has gone all soft-eyed and happy, a sweet smile on his lips and lashes fluttering, while Eddie is caught up in being speechless. 

“Come on, Bobby is waiting. Get back to being friends now, you are still on the hour.”

And if she secretly smiles when Buck laughs out loud and drags Eddie with him towards their team, well she’ll make sure that only Bobby will know about that later.

**Author's Note:**

> This happens when I have a song stuck in my head and Buck and Eddie are being idiots in there as well.
> 
> A., thank you so much.  
> <3


End file.
